Where is moderate Islam . . . and . . . [where are] moderate Muslims, in light of the actions of a criminal minority that affiliates itself with them and carries out shameful terror acts in the name of . . . [Islam]? We have lost track of the terrorist acts carried out by [Islamist] groups that morphed into multiple other [Islamist] groups. Terrorist acts . . . carried out in the name of [Islam] . . . are staining all those with ties to Arabs or Muslims [such that the] . . . . image of Arabs and Muslims in the world is black, ugly, and terrorist . . . . [A]ll we have done [against this] so far is to say . . . they represent neither us nor our true religion. We hasten to cry out against the Western media . . . but there is no need for Western . . . plots against us or for distortion of our image . . . . [A]ll that is needed is . . . [to film] the actions of the groups that affiliate themselves with us . . . . Defending ourselves . . . [by insisting on Islam's] tolerance, its [capacity for] coexistence, and its past . . . will neither convince nor compensate any mother who has seen her children murdered in front of her by mujahideen bullets. They will also neither convince nor compensate any orphaned child, or any of the dozens of wounded, or any of the families of those murdered or tortured, or any of the [men or] women violated . . . . Words cannot contradict action, and we cannot put out the fires caused by the terrorism of these groups . . . with statements stressing that we are [actually] good. [Such statements] are meaningless [in the face of] slaughtered innocents. [Such statements] are a naïve, even . . . impudent . . . attempt to alleviate the pain . . . . The Muslim majority . . . must respond to Islamic terror in a concrete way, not just with words. This majority, the intellectuals and shapers of opinion, must . . . come up with ways for presenting . . . moderate Islam . . . to the world, to people, and to the casualties of . . . terror . . . . [One] duty [is] to establish an Islamic Public Fund for Compensating Victims of Terror. It . . . would . . . reach out to all those harmed by the criminal actions attributed to . . . Islam, to provide them with moral and humanitarian support, to show solidarity with them, and to compensate them monetarily for their loss of life and property . . . . [Of course, we] cannot [truly] compensate a man who has lost a son, brother, father, or mother . . . by evil terrorism -- but solidarity and material compensation can soften the blow and can also send an important and urgent message that these murderers represent neither Muslims nor . . . [Islam] . . . . [T]errorist slaughter by the Islamic Somali Al-Shabab movement [at the Nairobi mall in September 2013] must be considered . . . terrorism against defenseless civilians peacefully shopping with their children . . . . Where is . . . heroism and bravery, or . . . manliness[,] . . . when women and children are abducted, terrorized, separated out, and asked about their religion -- and when the Muslims are released and the Christians are murdered? . . . . [What] religious precepts did these criminals read to justify their rape of abducted children? . . . . What is the magnificent achievement of the mujahideen in murdering dozens of innocents, and wounding and crippling hundreds more? All they are doing is fomenting resentment and hatred against all those connected to Islam and Muslims, in Kenya and anywhere people witnessed such slaughter and saw it on television and in the media . . . [In] Pakistan[,] . . . terrorists . . . wage unnecessary war against churches or Shi'ite mosques, shouting religious slogans, in their madness and moral bankruptcy, as if they had won a tremendous victory . . . . Closer to home, in Syria, the mujahideen of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] continue with their heroic deeds -- smashing church symbols and crosses and terrorizing all those who do not obey . . . . [Or consider] the heinousness of the mujahideen in Iraq, who are immersed in the blood of innocents. Since the terror of 9/11, the image of Arabs and Muslims and their religion has deteriorated. In the age of instant media[,] . . . . [Islam] has come to be associated with violence, terrorism, and extremism. The deeds of . . . terrorist groups . . . carried out worldwide in the name of [Islam] . . . bring destruction upon all Muslims . . . and cause all the others to unite against them . . . . [We must be] honest with ourselves and acknowledg[e] . . . that most terrorism aimed against defenseless civilians has Islamic sponsorship . . . . [Our complaint] about the crimes of the West . . . is aimed at [allowing us to] shirk [our] responsibility . . . . [Will] this help stop the deterioration of the image of Islam and Muslims among ordinary people, say, in Kenya? . . . . [No, it won't, so the Muslim] majority must awaken and . . . strike out against these simpleminded groups . . . scuttling our own ship -- for if we do not, the ship will go down drowning all its passengers and erasing them from history.

Quite starkly expressed. I hope that Dr. Hroub's words find resonance in the hearts of Muslims. Beyond the charitable actions that he advises, moderate Muslims also need to actively oppose Islamists, proactively expose them, and investigate their plots. Moderate Muslims also need to cooperate with non-Muslims against Islamist terrorism, particularly cooperating with police and governmental investigations, and to speak out against Islamist groups like CAIR that discourage cooperation with such investigations.

Such actions might generate some good will for Muslims in these dreadful days of so much Islamist terrorism . . .

2 Comments:

It is good to see a moderate Muslim speak out against the terrorism his Islamic brothers cause. I do not believe mere words alone will sway the general public opinion. As you mentioned, the moderates must take definitive action in helping to erdicate the vitriol and muderous actions of the islamists. We have seen scant evidence of Muslims banding together with other religions or moderate governments in a tangible way. Even the moderate Muslims do not seem to get along from nation to nation! Until this happens I fear we, i.e. everyone not an islamist, will continue to face the threat of terrorism anywhere anytime.

About Me

I am a professor at Ewha Womans University, where I teach composition, research writing, and cultural issues, including the occasional graduate seminar on Gnosticism and Johannine theology and the occasional undergraduate course on European history.
My doctorate is in history (U.C. Berkeley), with emphasis on religion and science. My thesis is on John's gospel and Gnosticism.
I also work as one-half of a translating team with my wife, and our most significant translation is Yi Kwang-su's novel The Soil, which was funded by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.
I'm also an award-winning writer, and I recommend my novella, The Bottomless Bottle of Beer, to anyone interested.
I'm originally from the Arkansas Ozarks, but my academic career -- funded through doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships (e.g., Fulbright, Naumann, Lady Davis) -- has taken me through Texas, California, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, and Israel and has landed me in Seoul, South Korea. I've also traveled to Mexico, visited much of Europe, including Moscow, and touched down briefly in a few East Asian countries.
Hence: "Gypsy Scholar."